Procor installs new drying ovens for manufacturing exothermic sleeves

Procor Steel and Foundry Supplies recently installed new drying ovens at their facility in Brakpan, Gauteng. The new drying ovens or, baking ovens as they are sometimes referred to, are part of the company’s strategy to improve on the quality of the exothermic sleeves that the company manufactures and supplies to the foundry industry, while reducing gas and electricity consumption.

“Feeding aids like insulating or exothermic riser sleeves and hot-toppings can improve the overall quality and cost of steel castings. Their uses have been studied long and well, however these materials can impact the chemistry of the metal in the riser and potentially in the casting,” said Fubio Ciani, owner of Procor Steel and Foundry Supplies.

“This new development, where we have installed a new 15 station drying oven forms, part of our strategy to upgrade our manufacturing and processing equipment to improve the performance of our products that we supply, by investing in the company and to portray Procor, as a brand, as a quality supplier,” explained Ciani.

“The installation of the new ovens was a lengthy process, which started in February 2014, as the old ovens had to be dismantled to make space for the bigger and more efficient ovens, while at the same time keeping our production and deliveries on schedule.”

“The new oven has been supplied and installed by Technifurn and has resulted in us now only having a drying period of the exothermic sleeves of about eight hours, which is half the time that the old ovens took. The drying racks have been increased by three, which is 25 percent more than what we had previously, and there has been a significant drop in electricity and gas consumption. This all adds up to higher production, quicker turnaround times, better environmental controls and cost savings.”

Procor is planning on having an open day to introduce customers to the company’s manufacturing facilities, in particular the new drying oven and the other recent developments that have taken place at the company. The date is still to be confirmed.